Blowback
by Elena George
Summary: Within the White Lies arc before mid-season finale. I will do my best to get this finished and posted before White Lies part 3 airs in the US. I love reviews :-) I have now completed the story before the actual end of this half of the season. So, let me know if I stayed close to the canon characters. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Blowback

A slightly built blonde woman hugged the shadows of the parking garage. She was waiting for the confrontation. She had waited since six that evening; it was now just a little after eight. The click of heels came across the concrete floor at a quick clip. Somebody wanted to get home at long last. The woman pulled out a mirror to see her quarry, Captain Sharon Raydor, heading for her little silver car.

Sharon, keys in hand, gave a look around the garage. They were still dealing with a difficult case of neo-Nazis, most of whom had been rolled up and carted away to either the county jail or the morgue. She felt chilled by Wildred Darnell's "if looks could kill" stare she'd shot in her direction just the other day. Seeing nothing, Sharon clicked the key fob, opening the driver's side door.

"You killed my son!" shouted the woman who now left the shadows, gun in hand.

Before Sharon could turn, three shots rang out. She felt the fire of the bullets piercing her flesh and the push of the explosion as she twisted and fell between her car and empty slot next to hers. She was helpless and bleeding on the pavement.

The elevator door opened just as the shooting took place. Julio heard it moments before he saw it all.

"No!" he screamed, pulling his weapon and firing at the standing woman. He put four rounds into her before she even began to fall to the ground. He raced to the scene a few yards from him.

Andy and Mike had now gotten out of the other elevator in time to see the blonde spinning to her

death. Andy froze in horror, pistol extended.

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Mike as he raced to Julio's side. He pulled out his phone and started calling for paramedics.

Andy tucked his weapon back as he got to Sharon's side. Trembling hands reached out to her limp body and rolled her over face up. He swept hair out of her face and rocked her gently.

"Stay with me, Sharon, stay with me," he implored.

Her head lolled finally finding his side. Mike pushed Andy back a little and began to tear away clothing to get a look at the wound. He had his goodie bag with him and pulled small sachets of white powder out. He covered a gauze sponge with the powder and stuffed it deep into his Captain's injury as his finger would allow.

"Quik-Clot," he told Andy and Julio. "Roll her back over."

Andy complied.

"Three entrance and one exit wounds," Mike noted as he prepared another bandage. As he applied significant pressure to get the material deep into the first wound, they heard Sharon let out a cry of pain. It was the first they had heard from her.

"I'm here, Honey," Andy tried to reassure her. "Mike's got this magic powder stuff. Paramedics are on the way."

By that time, the garage was filling with detectives and others who were jerked out of their duties within the building to see to a colleague in the parking structure who had been shot. Julio began to set a perimeter and directed human traffic.

After Mike stuffed the last entrance wound, Andy rolled Sharon back to face him. What he saw scared the life out of him. Blood, frothy blood, was escaping her mouth. Sharon was struggling to breathe. Her hands clung to Andy's shirt with a death grip.

Between gurgles, she managed to speak to him, "Andy...love you...will marry you, yes..."

Mike knelt back down on the other side of Sharon, "Captain, you've got a sucking chest wound. We are going to need to elevate you a little and roll you to the damaged side. It will hurt, probably a lot, but it will also make it easier for you to breathe than it is now. Your lung is filling with fluid, specifically blood."

He and Andy brought her head and chest up and rolled her toward Andy who cradled her tenderly. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow, her pulse was weak and thready.

"We don't want you to drown," Mike went on. "You're in shock. Once the paramedics get here, they'll start an IV with Ringers and insert a chest tube. The chest tube..."

By this time, Provenza has also arrived on scene, "Ye gads, Mike, don't scare the woman any more than she already is!"

Mike looked up at the senior lieutenant with a puzzled look on his face.

Not only did the paramedics start the IV in one arm, but they also dropped another line in the other arm. They added not just a chest tube but also intubated her after administering morphine. Sharon was down for the count.

Kendall collected Dwight Darnell's mother's body after Captain Raydor had been carried away. The dead body of her assailant was merely an afterthought. Nevertheless, Amy took Kendall's report and let him know that somebody would catch up with Dr. Morales later on, after they knew something about their Captain.

Sharon was slightly aware of the ride to the hospital. People kept touching her. Andy stroked her head and spoke soft reassurances. The paramedic kept on adjusting this or that as the ambulance swayed down the streets of the city. The chest tube had truly improved the whole breathing process. Going in, stabbed between two ribs, had hurt every bit as much as being shot. She had again cried out in pain. However, draining the blood and fluid out and partially reinflating the lung had stifled the gurgles. Then the morphine was beginning to hit, too. She was as the song said - "comfortably numb." While aware of the tube in her throat, she was unable to decide much about its placement at that moment. So, she focused her energy on the sound of Andy's voice instead. Tears involuntarily rolled down her cheeks.

At the hospital, she was jerked off the ambulance gurney by the sheet she lay on and onto a cold table in the ER Trauma section, Andy was left out in the waiting room, and the remainder of her clothes were stripped from her body. She thought she felt cold but was not really sure about much at this point.

A young woman, not much older than Emily, pried open her eyes and flashed a light around.

"Equal and responsive."

Sharon was aware that the doctor was feeling her head, "No head trauma. Little bump where she hit the deck."

She examined the wounds, ordered ten units of whole blood "stat." Another person drew blood for type and cross-matching.

"I want a chest series. We need to send her up to the OR with some idea of where the bullets or fragments are," the doctor ordered.

"Does our patient have any allergies?"

"None noted."

"Okay, let's induce a coma to give her lungs some time off. Prep for surgery. Let's get her on the respirator," the doctor ordered. "Get a PIC line started..." were the last words that Sharon heard before the meds kicked in with a fury. She never felt the catheter inserted for surgery and recovery.

X-rays were taken and sent to the OR where surgeons waited for their patient. With a crash, the gurney went through the doors and toward the elevator to the OR suites. Sharon was wearing only the sheet the nurse had thrown across her body the moment before. She would be redraped in green by the OR techs as they finished prepping her for the surgeons.

Dr. Yael Cohen headed to the waiting room. It did not take her long to find the "Raydor Party." She pulled them off to a quieter corner. "Who's who?" she asked.

Rusty stepped forward, "I'm her son. These are our friends."

"Okay. Your mother is alive. Whoever did the initial dressing of the wounds probably saved her life. She's headed to surgery to clean the wound and repair the damage. There were three gunshot wounds. One went through and through. The others are still in her thoracic cavity and have got to come out. One bullet went through her lung, causing some damage, and collapsed it. The paramedics put in a chest tube which probably saved her life as well as the initial dressing with the Quik-Clot."

Rusty paled, hearing that he had nearly lost his Mom. Provenza held him up.

Andy wanted to know, "How long will she be in surgery?"

Dr. Cohen responded, "A few hours at least. We got whole blood started, and she was stable when we sent her up. She has a good prognosis. I would recommend you head home and come back in the morning when she is out of surgery and recovery. She may spend a few days in ICU then a regular room. You can visit tomorrow."

Rusty responded, "What if some of us want to stay?"

Dr. Cohen shrugged, "The waiting room for the OR is on the second floor." She smiled, "Not to worry. We have a saying around here - you get them to us alive, we keep them that way."

Rusty and Andy decided to head upstairs and send the rest of the team homeward. It was going to be a long night, and there was no sense having everyone try to sleep standing up.

Amy popped in just as Provenza was detailing tomorrow's planned actions, "What'd I miss? How's the Captain?"

Provenza took the lead, "Mike here saved her life with his magic powder. If you ever get shot, make sure he's with you. Captain is in surgery, and we were all sent home. We still have work to do on this case, so we'll see everyone but Flynn tomorrow in the Murder Room."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Three o'clock in the morning came and went for Rusty and Andy. Sharon had been in surgery for nearly six hours. Rusty had finally sought a tiny bit of sleep on the floor. Andy knew floor sleeping days were long gone for him and chose coffee and pacing. He also frequently checked his watch as time advanced so slowly. Mercifully, after Julio had made his initial statement to FID, he came to the hospital with fresh clothes for Andy who until that moment was still covered in Sharon's blood when he held her. One of the residents allowed him to use their duty room and shower to get cleaned up.

A surgeon finally came out to the waiting room to speak with them. Andy awakened Rusty and handed him a cup of coffee.

"I'm Dr. Gerry Rodriguez. Are you here for Raydor, gunshot victim?"

A bleary-eyed Rusty stepped forward, "She's my Mom."

"Well, son," began the surgeon, "we got all the metal out and patched up the holes. It took a little longer than anticipated since the shooter chose a mixed bag of ammo. Fortunately, for your Mom, the shooter used mostly those RIP and frangible rounds instead of conventional ball or hollow points."

Rusty looked puzzled by the terms and looked to Andy who nodded, "I'll explain later."

"Is she going to be okay though?"

The doctor nodded, "Sure as long as things progress as they should. For now, the concern would be for infection and any bleeders we did not already repair. Puncture wounds can become easily infected."

Andy piped up, "When can we see her?"

"As soon as my resident finishes closing, she will spend time in recovery. Depending on how long that takes, a few hours before we send her to the Unit," Dr. Rodriguez surmised. "You can be with her in the Unit but only for a short visit. Besides, we have her in a medically induced coma for now, so she's not going to be much company."

Rusty was adamant, "Then we'll wait."

Rodriguez turned his attention to Andy, "I understand you are a police officer, too."

Andy nodded, "We work Major Crimes together."

"Then can I give you this?" he proffered a bag of metal chips and chunks. "This is what I dug out of her that somebody will want for evidence sooner or later."

Rusty nearly passed out and turned away quickly, retreating to the other side of the room.

"Thanks, doc. I'll see this gets placed in evidence," Andy finished.

The doctor shook Andy's hand, "Not to worry, she'll be fine. I've seen lots worse cases when I was in Iraq. Shrapnel is a bitch."

With that he left Andy and Rusty to wait some more. Andy signed and dated the baggie for the record of chain of custody. Rusty turned back toward Andy, eyes glued to the bag of fragments.

Andy fingered the blood-stained pieces of metal through the plastic. He began to explain, "Thugs think they are going to get more devastating results using these RIP rounds. They look really mean in the box but they don't penetrate with the same force that other more conventional rounds do. These little saw teeth pieces are the parts that broke off when the round hit Sharon. Frangible rounds break up on impact like shrapnel." With that, he signed and stuck the baggie into his pocket. "They are designed to stop and injure but don't always kill like conventional rounds."

Rusty gave the bag a sideways glace, "So what's a conventional round?"

"One that does not come apart on impact. Ball ammo has a rounded nose. Wad cutters have flat noses, mostly for target practice so you can see exactly what you hit. Hollow-points have little indentations which collapse and tumble on impact, making for the worst injury," Andy explained. He pulled out his service pistol and ejected the magazine. "This is ball ammo," he showed Rusty. "It's designed to go straight on through without tearing up things. Hollow points almost always kill or mess you up so badly you wish you had died."

"I think I'll stick to journalism," Rusty moved away.

"I hear ya, Rusty," Flynn replied. "I guess we should head over to the ICU waiting area now."

"You think we could find the Chapel first, Andy?"

Andy smiled, "Yeah, we can do that. I think we probably should thank Him for sparing Sharon's life as a start. Then we've got phone calls to make."

Sharon was finally transferred to the Unit after the 7 a.m. shift change. Rusty was allowed back and took Andy with him after convincing the charge nurse of the importance of Andy to Sharon's well being.

Rusty was spellbound by the tubes and monitors all hooked up to his Mom. He had figured out what most were telling him - temperature, heart beat and rhythm, respirations, BP, O2 Sats, and all the other vital signs. Then he found the ugly jar under her bed, filling with blood and other thick fluids with each breath she took. He recoiled.

The RN smiled slightly, "It's okay. It looks worse than it is."

Rusty pointed at the jar, "What's that? It looks like something out of a horror movie."

"It's there to drain all the crap from your Mom's lung that was punctured. So, it is like from a horror movie," the nurse nodded. "It, together with the respirator, helps her to breathe. Her lung was punctured and collapsed from the gunshot wound. The puncture caused the lung to fill with blood and plasma. She could have drowned in her own fluids if she did not bleed out first. With those kinds of wounds, it's a toss up as to what gets you first. But she should be fine over the long haul. The surgeons stopped the bleeding and got her lung functioning again. There might be other surgery down the road, but for now, she's doing just fine."

The nurse eased back the sheet and gown to show Rusty the several tubes leading from her side. One led to the jar made sucking sounds. Her side was heavily bruised and the color of deepest purple. Angry red, jagged lines of sutures extended from her back around the side and forward. Then he carefully smoothed the gown and sheet back down.

Sharon lay perfectly still, head and chest slightly elevated, except for the rise and fall of her chest. Her hair was knotted and listless, her face was as pale as death itself. The twentieth bag of whole blood and a bag of Ringers hung side-by-side. A smaller piggyback IV bag attached on the liter of Ringers dripped other medications into her PIC line.

"How long is she going to be knocked out?" Andy wanted to know.

"Depends on her, really," the nurse began. "For now, the doctors want her body to rest, so the respirator is doing all the breathing for her. She could be under for 24 - 72 hours, maybe longer. But typically, we will try to wean her off the respirator in 24 - 48 hours. If she breathes on her own, then the respirator will be left in to assist. If she's got no troubles, then we remove the respirator."

"Wean her off?" the words were foreign to Rusty and Andy.

The nurse smiled as he continued, "We reduce the amount of medication that keeps her in the coma. If her body picks up breathing, then we keep on reducing the meds and the force of the oxygen being pumped into her lungs. Until then, she can't really respond to you. With the tube in, she can't make a sound for herself either. So you won't hear any grunts, moans, or groans. We keep a very close eye on her vitals which tell us if she's in pain."

"Can she hear us? Does she know we are here?" they both wanted to know.

"Very likely. Did you see the change in heart rate when you spoke?" he smiled.

Rusty's tears began to well in his eyes, "Mom! I love you, Mom! Andy is here, and we've been praying for you," he pled. This time he was not about to run; he was no longer ashamed of his own tears and fears.

Tears also involuntarily trickled from the corners of her eyes and down Sharon's cheeks when she heard the voices she loved the most. She was alive.

Andy reached an arm over and squeezed Rusty's shoulder. Then he slipped his hand under the sheets to find and take Sharon's free hand and kissed it, bringing it up to his lips.

"You know how much I love you, Sharon. I know you've got some healing ahead, but know that I'm going to be there for you just like you have always been there for me. Ricky and Emily are on their way in. When we get you to a regular room, the team will be beating a path to your door with flowers and chocolate and whatever else would make you happy, like a few of your angels from home. FID already processed Julio for taking down the Darnell woman who shot you. Apparently she understood but could not let go of revenge. We can talk all about it later when you wake up, Honey."

The nurse then shuffled them back out to the waiting area for the Unit, telling them to go home and rest. Andy needed a shower and a shave and Rusty some proper food.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Julio sat at his desk fiddling with paperwork. He counted the bullet fragments in the evidence bag that Flynn had brought back before heading back to the hospital. He counted over four dozen. He set it next to the evidence bag of the bullet that had passed through his Captain's chest and lodged in the wall in front of her car. Another bag held the round that was chambered when he killed Ms Darnell. It was the kill-shot round, a hollow point. She had been advancing on his Captain when he made his shots count. Had he not exited the elevator when he did; had he not fired when he did; had he not been an superior marksman; had he not...Julio mused.

He, too, had been part of the team that saved his Captain's life. Moreover, he had absolutely no remorse about it. He had done what needed doing. He shook his head wondering why the Captain had such a strange reaction to having shot and killed Dwight Darnell. He stopped to consider how he had felt the first time he shot and killed a dirtbag. _Seen one gang banger, seen them all_ , he mused. White, Brown, Black, they were all the same to him. He just shook his head and continued log in all the evidence. Provenza had made him the designated "Desk Monkey" until his final interview with the good folks in behavioral science. He'd been there a few times and had the answers and physical affect down pat.

Mike and Provenza were the next to arrive, followed on the next elevator to their floor by Amy. Buzz came in with coffee and sweet rolls for the team shortly thereafter. The team was missing two key players and were keenly aware of the depth of their absence.

Provenza addressed the gathering. "Okay, people. The Captain survived her surgery last night. Patrice is going over to the ICU to keep us abreast of what's happening there. Amy, thank you for working the blood drive for her. Julio - thank you for taking Flynn something clean to wear. So, where are you in the FID process?"

"Uh, waiting to see behavioral science head shrinker, sir. Then, I'm clear to go back into the field," Julio made his report.

"Mike, where are we on dumping Ms Hitler's phone and financials?"

"I should have something in the next hour or so," he noted. "Maybe her records will give us the last of the neo-Nazis names, so we can roll them up, too."

"You and Amy go over all of it with a fine toothed comb. I want names of associates. I want connections that are not already taken care of."

"Buzz, what do we have on surveillance from the parking garage where the Captain was gunned down?"

"I'm going over the last week's worth of recordings to see if she had established some kind of pattern or if it was more a spur of the moment kind of attack, sir."

Provenza looked at Flynn's desk then to the open door of the Captain's empty office, "Let's get to it then."

Chief Howard had watched it all from the edge of the Murder Room and nodded, "I'm going down to the hospital now. Keep up the good work."

Fritz met Rusty, Emily, Ricky, and Andy in the ICU waiting area. Visiting hours would commence in half an hour or so. Sharon's regular physician had been summoned after the initial crisis had been dealt with successfully. It was Dr. Lyssa Hughes who had the family and Patrice in one corner going over Sharon's chart when Fritz moved closer. He nodded to Andy and Patrice.

Emily had summoned her father, Jack Raydor to the hospital once her plane landed. He, too, was now in the waiting area at a distance from the rest. Emily was first to notice his presence.

"Dad!" she broke into Dr. Hughes detailed discussion and raced to hug her father. Ricky followed, giving Jack a quick hug.

"Good to see you, son," Jack said confidently. "So, what's the word?"

Andy wanted to say something but held his tongue. He loved Sharon and would do nothing to upset her. If he made a scene, it would get back to her. So, it was left to Fritz to say something.

"Jack," Fritz started.

Jack put out his hand to shake with the tight little group of people in which he hoped to insinuate himself. Fritz returned the gesture as did Rusty and Andy.

"Now who is this lovely lady," with a huge grin, Jack extended his hand to Patrice.

"I'm Patrice Provenza," she said coolly. She had correctly read Rusty and Andy's lack of enthusiasm for Jack's presence. "I guess you could say I watch over the team from a medical standpoint, having retired from active nursing a little bit ago."

"That's great!" Jack exclaimed then turned to Dr. Hughes. "So what did I miss? How's my wife?"

The group went instantly silent and stared at Jack, some with shock across their faces while others just gave him a look of disgust.

Fritz acted quickly, "Jack, if I remember correctly, Sharon divorced you a while back. So, you're not her husband now."

"Only in the eyes of the state. In the eyes of God, I'm her husband - 'til death do us part," responded Jack with a huff.

Emily shifted and grew closer to Andy's side. Rusty was practicing his "Darth Raydor" look at Jack, knowing that this would get back to Sharon.

Ricky made his thoughts known, "You know, Dad, this is not going fly with Mom. So, you might want to come at this from a different angle if you plan to stay here with the rest of us."

Jack was shocked, "Are you telling me I can't see my own wife? your mother?"

Ricky looked at him for some moments before responding, "Pretty much, Dad. I love you, but I will not have your presence upsetting Mom especially while she recovers from being shot and nearly killed last night."

Ricky did not back down. Emily watched her brother and grew in appreciation for him.

Emily then broke the silent standoff, "You know, Dad, I only called you because I thought you'd want to know. I never expected you to show up here at the hospital. I don't think Mom would want you here."

Again Jack feigned being stunned, "What are you talking about, Em? You know your Mom is crazy about me."

"More like, you make her crazy," Rusty finally could hold himself back no longer. "Jack, every time you visit, you leave her hurt or crying or both. You lie to her every time you speak to her. It's always about you and never about Sharon or her feelings. You are not good for my Mom at all."

Andy reached out and put a hand on Rusty's shoulder.

Dr. Hughes looked over the edge of her glasses toward Andy, "Shall we continue?"

"Dad, you can wait for Em and me in the cafeteria, if you like," Ricky finally directed.

"No, son. I'll catch up with you two later on. I know when I'm not wanted," Jack sulked his way out of the room and onto the elevator as Dr. Hughes concluded her rundown and expectations.

Fritz's knotted brows and Andy's knotted shoulders began to relax a little. They gave each other a silent nod as if to say, _That was close_.

Ricky and Emily went in to see Sharon first. Ricky just knew his sister could not see their Mom for all the tears once she passed the doors to the Unit. When they got to the bedside, Emily buried her head in her brother's shoulder the moment she saw her mom on life support. Ricky failed to close his mouth when he saw how pale she was, the tubes, and the "ugly jar" as Rusty had warned him about.

Sharon's afternoon nurse stood by to explain the machines, their readings, and to answer any questions they might have. She also stood by to guard her patient from any undue stress from the family visit. The morning nurse had passed along that Sharon responded well to Rusty and to Andy. The nursing staff was aware that Sharon was very much alive, no matter all the life supporting measures they had implemented made it look.

Emily could not stay. All she could do that first visit was kiss her mother's head and tell her that she loved her very much. Beyond that, Emily folded into tears. Ricky kissed his mother, too, and told her he loved her and he'd be back later. He gathered his sister and left quietly.

Once outside the doors, Patrice took Emily and comforted her. Ricky, looking a little shell shocked, walked over to where Andy and Rusty were finishing another cup of coffee.

"Boy, little brother, you were not kidding!"

"Yeah," whispered Rusty. "I'm really glad that Patrice is here."

Ricky nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Patrice left in time to get home to prepare Louie a good supper after all his hard work. She also gave him a much desired update on how Sharon was doing. Andy and Rusty had taken non-visiting hours off to get home, get something to eat, and a little cat nap or two.

Sharon remained in the coma with vitals strong enough to start the "weaning off the ventilator" process by the afternoon visiting hours. The Unit held Sharon and two other patients at the moment. Everyone got a bed bath today complete with a rub down with lotion after the morning sheet exchange was completed. Her post-op fever had yet to break by the time Andy and Rusty arrived in the late afternoon. Her temperature read a steady 101 deg F as it had shortly after being received into the Unit. Her face had begun to flush with color as a result. She did not look well at the other end of the spectrum. Yesterday, she was pale as death; flushed by fever.

Andy took her left hand in his and slipped a ring onto her finger. It was a marquis-cut diamond with two emerald baguettes on the sides. He looked at her face lovingly with a soft smile creeping across his lips. Andy lifted her hand carefully to show Rusty.

"You think she'll like it?" he wondered.

"Wow, Andy! You went all out!" Rusty replied. "Those little green stones will match her eyes, too."

They both grinned widely.

"I've had it for over a year now, even since we started dating officially. I've been in love with Sharon for years," Andy confessed.

"Yeah, I know," Rusty nodded approvingly. "I wasn't too sure about you two at the start, but I really appreciate how much you both seem to love each other and actually get along. I guess I can say I approve," he laughed. "Just no making out in front of me. That's just gross."

With that Sharon took her own deep breath which quickly registered at the nurses' station and on the monitors over her head. Her next breath was much more shallow as if the deep breath had been painful. Her heart rate spiked, again, as if registering pain. Her BP bounced up, as if in distress.

The nurse came quickly to her patient's side. She began checking all the readouts then checked the pupilary response by gently easing each eye open and shining a light to gauge the pupil's reaction to light. Each pupil contracted quickly as the bright light forced the brain to reduce the intake of light. She was beginning to awaken a little ahead of schedule.

"What's going on?" Rusty and Andy needed to know, having witnessed the speed at which the nurse arrived at bedside.

"It looks as if she is awakening," the nurse replied. "What a lovely ring!"

Andy smiled, "But not as lovely as the woman."

The nurse smiled gently back at him, "You know, the hospital cannot be responsible for something like that. You'll need to take it home with you and wait for her to fully awaken."

Andy's face puckered with disappointment, "Okay, if you insist. It just looked so good and so natural where it was."

The nurse nodded, "Most of us seldom wear anything of value even while on duty," showing her own hand which had only a simple wedding ring, "We work with a multitude of things that can snag a ring, and we wash our hands a billion times a day. I had a friend who accidentally washed her engagement ring down the sink. It took maintenance three hours to reclaim it for her," she giggled at the recollection.

Andy nodded, "So what you're saying is that too many things can go wrong in too many ways in a hospital setting."

She smiled back, "Yeah, pretty much like that, yes."

"I understand," lamented Andy. "I just wanted her to see it when she comes back around."

Rusty then changed the subject, "I've noticed my Mom has been running a fever for a while now."

The nurse nodded, "Postoperative fevers are common, especially when confronting gunshot wounds or other puncture injuries. They can get infected because they don't have good access to air and light. The other thing we keep a close eye on is the Foley. They can lead to UTI's."

Rusty's face held a puzzled look.

"Sorry, urinary tract infection. They are common enough," the nurse offered matter-of-factly. "For right now, that looks good. Her input-output is good, and the urine is clear," she pointed to the collection bag hanging off the bed.

Rusty immediately wrinkled his nose and turned away. The older woman just smiled knowingly.

"When she's completely awake, that will go away," she reassured Rusty.

"So how long does this fever last?" asked Andy.

The nurse shrugged, "It depends on what is causing it. Sometimes it's just the inflammation that happens when the body is cut on. Sometimes it's infection. We wait, watch, then administer the proper antibiotics, if they are needed. It used to be, we'd just hit every post surgical patient with a broad-spectrum antibiotic, but all that did was make for more resistance strains of bacteria. So, now we try to let the patient's own immune system fight it off."

"Will they move her to a regular room with a fever or keep her here?" Rusty inquired.

"She stays here until she is breathing on her own, and the fever is under control," responded the nurse. "Once she is breathing on her own, they will likely move her upstairs to the Med-Surgery floor."

"So they have better visiting hours?" Andy asked.

The nurse laughed, "Yes, they do. You can even stay overnight, depending."

"Say," Andy reached into the small sack he had with him, "Can I at least put these socks on her? Sharon hates cold feet, and these will keep her comfortable in bed."

The nurse smiled gently, "Certainly. We can do that."

A pair of hospital socks came out in their package fm the bottom drawer in the stand by the bed.

"These have little grippers on the feet for when we get her up and walking," she indicated as she handed them to Andy.

Andy tore open the plastic sack and pulled the covers back off Sharon's bare feet. Gently, he rubbed the soles of her feet and massaged everything from her ankles down. The nurse had given him some lotion to apply while he was working on her feet. Finally, he rolled a sock on each foot and covered them tenderly.

"Rusty, you game to helping me brush out her hair?" Andy pulled out Sharon's favorite hairbrush.

The nurse poke up again before Andy even started, "With the tangles in her hair right now, I'd recommend a wide toothed comb first. A brush will only break the hair, and I don't think your fiancée would much appreciate that."

"Oh, yeah, you're probably right about that," Andy reconsidered. "Sharon has the most beautiful hair I've ever seen. When she grows it out, it's like a ruby red lion's mane trailing down her back."

Rusty chimed in, "It fits her 'heart of a lion' personality, too."

He gently brushed curls away from her face. He entangled his fingers more deeply in her hair. Before they were invited to leave as visitation was coming to a close, Andy leaned over and kissed Sharon's face tenderly.

"I love you, Sharon. I really need you to get better and wake up soon. I miss your company, your sense of humor, the way you keep me cool under the collar. Hey, it's probably a good thing I'm taking time away from the office. I can imagine me and Provenza going at it, can't you? As soon as we get you to a regular room, Patrice will here, too, to be with you. Don't worry, I'm going to make sure Rusty gets to class tomorrow and the next day, and so forth. And I'm making sure we don't eat a steady diet of hamburgers either. So please wake up soon," he pleaded as he slipped the ring back into his pocket and kissed her forehead one last time.

The waiting area was full of the team and Gus.

"She's holding her own," reported Flynn. "In fact, she's kinda waking up a little bit, ya know."

Rusty added his analysis, "She's got a fever, but the nurse said that was expected. I'm hoping that she'll wake up and gets put in a regular room soon." He looked to Andy, "I can do homework here just as easily as I can at the condo."

"Yeah, but you're going to class tomorrow," reiterated Andy. "Sharon would not want you skipping studies, you know that."

"I know, I know," Rusty nodded sheepishly. "But being here with her was more important."

The waiting area was all but empty at the end of visiting hours and with the lack of patients on the Unit. Andy took one last longing look at the doors to the Unit and turned toward his friends.

"Well, folks, time to head home," he started. "I really appreciate it that you guys turned out for us. I've got to feed Rusty something other than burgers or pizza. If I don't I'll be in deep trouble with Sharon later on," he chuckled.

Rusty did an "aw shucks" move with his feet and head as they began to file out to their cars for the evening.

Tomorrow, they looked to run the same arrangement. Emily and Ricky got to spend the morning visiting hour with her while Rusty and Andy took the afternoon time. They all huddled in the waiting area between those times. When Sharon was moved to a regular room, they would work out who stayed with her when at that time.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rusty had breakfast ready and waiting when Andy came to the table the next morning.

"Thanks, Rusty," Andy offered. "I'm really glad that Sharon has you in her life. She loves you every bit as much as she loves Ricky and Emily."

Rusty nodded and smiled warmly, "I had an idea. How about you let Emily start combing out Mom's hair? Ricky said that she had a really hard time with all the medical equipment and seeing Mom not moving at all."

Andy nodded, "Sounds like a really good idea. Yesterday, when Jack came by, it was really hard not to punch him in the face. I thought you handled yourself especially well."

"Yeah, I'm kinda used to dealing with drunks who think more of themselves than of others. Mom says that my frankness is also an asset...when used in moderation," he laughed.

"Hmmm, maybe that's what she sees in me, too," Andy added.

"You do know she talks about you all the time," Rusty continued to eat. "It can get really annoying, too."

They both laughed.

"I want you to know that when we get her home, I plan on helping her get the annulment paperwork done so we can make an honest woman out of her," Andy smiled. "My 'ex' already annulled that marriage, so I'm free to marry in the church. The new Pope has shifted the focus back to people instead of institutions. People break pretty easily, and your Mom is the first to point out that love can heal all the cracks."

"I'm not Catholic, so a lot of that stuff I just don't understand," Rusty shook his head. "Why not just be forgiven and get on with life?"

Andy shrugged, "I dunno, Kid. I think some folks like to make guilt a way of life. It's not limited to Catholics either. I've been in AA twenty years and have seen every religious and non-religious group represented. I know some make fun of us Catholics for guilt, but it's not ours alone. Every last one of us in AA fights for our sobriety to overcome the guilt and the shame.

"When I got sober, I had to let go of the guilt and the shame to be present in the moment and to stay sober. Guilt and shame are all about stuff that is in the past and can't be fixed. Making amends is about dealing with the guilt and shame so you and the person you hurt can move forward into the present. Focusing on the past screw-ups is enough to make you drink until you can't see straight."

"I always wondered why Sharon told me that first day of school, I should just stand around and look guilty." Rusty noted.

Andy glanced at his watch, "So, it's time for you to head to class. I'll load the dishwasher and get it started before I leave for the hospital. Put your cell on vibrate, and I'll text you if there are any significant changes."

"Thanks, Andy," Rusty rose from the table and placed his dishes on the counter. "Tell Mom that I love her when you get there, okay."

Andy nodded, "You bet!"

Emily and Ricky were waiting for Andy a few minutes before the morning visiting time began.

"Emily, I have a favor to ask of you," Andy said. "I know you were pretty upset yesterday and probably did not notice, but your mom's hair is all messed up. I was going to brush it out, but the nurse suggested a comb instead."

Andy pulled Sharon's comb out of his jacket pocket.

"I think she'd prefer it if you would do the honors," Andy handed her the comb.

"Oh, I don't think I can do that," Emily backed up and began to weep a little.

Andy stepped a little closer and pressed the comb into her hands, "Oh, I know you can."

Ricky took his sister by the elbow and moved toward the doors, "Come on, Em. You can do this."

The morning nurse was just finishing up putting glycerin drops in Sharon's eyes and was turning to the last of her paperwork as the siblings entered Sharon's space. This was an open bay style Unit in which curtains blocked the view from one patient to the next but allowed the staff a full view of the patient in his or her bed. Ricky nodded to the nurse.

"Mom? Em and I are here now," he spoke softly as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Andy is outside since they only let two of us in at a time. You know he really loves you a lot."

Emily found her voice, "He showed us the ring. It's so beautiful. You'll love it!"

Sharon's eyes fluttered just the tiniest bit, but it went unnoticed. She was alive.

"Mom," Emily hesitated, "Andy asked me to work on your hair today. It's kind of messed up."

Emily came around the other side of the bed and tentatively worked Sharon's hair out from under her shoulders on to the shoulder closest to Emily. Sharon was noticeably warm from the fever. Emily had been afraid that her mom would be cold as death, given her paleness yesterday. The warmth helped her let go of some of her fears. Beginning at the bottom, she gently ran the comb through the tangles until they released. Sharon's breathing was calm and steady, helping Emily to relax even more as she unknotted and detangled her mother's hair.

After a few moments, Emily found her voice again, "Mom, I wanted to tell you something but don't want you to worry about it. I was cut from the ballet. I know I did not tell you the truth, but I knew you'd worry and I certainly didn't want that. My priest in New York said I should tell you the truth as my penance. I'm so sorry I lied to you or made it seem other than it was."

The tangles were slowly yielding to Emily's fingers and comb.

"Dad came by yesterday. It was nice to see him...I guess. He really wanted to see you, but we didn't let him. We thought it would upset you. He left quietly which was really good. Oh, and Chief Howard came by, too. So did Dr. Morales. He's got a wicked sense of humor...just too funny, you know."

She eliminated a few more tangles.

"I really love your team even more than I did before. They've been great. Lt Provenza's wife, Patrice, wow, she's just the best. She really helped me calm down yesterday. I know you couldn't help it, but you really scared me. All this...stuff...it scares me...down to my core."

A few more tangles disappeared.

"I don't know why I'm telling you all this. Maybe because I need to get it off my chest, and, maybe because you can't really hear me, so you won't remember," she giggled. "But, Mom, I really need for you to get better. We have so many more lunches we need to have, so many shopping trips to take, and I want you to know that I'm thinking of coming back to this coast this year. I don't now, maybe San Francisco or Sacramento. I put in applications with those troops. There wasn't anything open in LA. And maybe LA is just too close anyhow. I may look at Portland or Seattle, too. It would be good to be closer, I think."

Sharon's eye closest to her daughter fought to open. Sharon wanted to reassure Emily it was all good. She was not going anywhere anytime soon and that she loved her daughter very much.

"Mom, Ricky and I talked about you and Andy last night. We want you to know that we think it's a good thing if you want to marry Andy. Not only does he love you, but he has also been super supportive to us," Emily continued.

"And Mom," chimed in Ricky, "we also decided it was cool that you adopted Rusty. Oh by the way, he wanted you to know that he went to class today and did not eat a bunch of burgers and pizza while you've been stuck in here."

Affirmation for her decisions made Sharon feel wonderful in spite of the too numerous to count bodily discomforts. She willed her eyes to open on her children's faces.

Emily shrieked when she looked into her mother's eyes, "Mom! You're awake!"

Sharon squeezed Ricky's hand as tightly as she could and drew a deeper breath. She fought the sedation as long as she could before drifting back to sleep. This time it was more peaceful and deeper sleep than she'd experienced since being shot.

Emily all but floated out the door at the end of visitation. Andy immediately noticed the difference in her demeanor and smiled.

"Andy, Andy, Mom's awake," Emily blurted out and she hugged Andy as his eyes met Ricky's.

"It's true," her son declared, "but then she fell back to sleep."

Andy's face was filled with the biggest smile he'd ever known. He let go a long held sigh of relief.

"You were right about the comb and the hair and..." Emily went on hurriedly. "The nurse said by this afternoon, the breathing tube might even be out. Oh, Andy, she's going to be okay! She's going to be okay!"

Indeed by the afternoon, Sharon was off the ventilator. The other tubes and catheter remained in place as did the fever. Both the fever and injuries were causing her significant, prolonged pain. When Rusty and Andy came in for visitation, Sharon was heavily sedated and snoring softly through the cannula which provided extra oxygen for her.

Gently, Andy pulled her hand out from under the sheets and held it to his lips. He slipped the ring back on her finger.

"Hi, Sweetheart. It's good to see you breathing on your own now."

Sharon's heart rate rose slightly although her eyes were not open.

"Hi Mom," Rusty cheerily proclaimed. "Class was okay today. Nothing special. Buzz is chasing down the Billy Jones lead. He found an old yearbook for the high school where they both went. It's so awesome to see him find and chose down leads."

Sharon fought her way back up from the sedation and opened her eyes. Her throat was as raw as it could be. Instead of speaking, she whispered, "I love you both so much."

Neither Rusty nor Andy could speak for a moment as tears of joy ran down their faces. Andy bent over to nuzzle her face with his own.

"I have missed you more than I ever imagined I could," he whispered in her ear. "And now you're back with us."

Rusty found his voice again, "So, Mom, what do you think of the ring Andy got you?"

Andy held her hand so that she could see it on her finger. A look of sheer joy flowed across her face. She reached over to hold Andy's hand.

"It's exquisite, absolutely perfect," she shook her head. "Andy, I love you. As soon as I'm able, I'll get the annulment paperwork to Father Moreno. I want to move forward with you and not let the past keep us apart."

With that, Sharon eased her eyes shut, "I'm sorry Rusty, Andy, I'm just so tired. I can't keep my eyes o..." and she was asleep again.

"Does this mean Mom gets to move to a regular room now?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sharon was transferred to the Med-Surgery floor early next morning without all of the tubes from the time spent in the Unit. The PIC line and telemetry remained. A morning freeway pile-up meant that the Unit's beds were needed for the most critically injured. She was napping after the morning routine had been completed by the nursing staff when Andy, Emily, and Ricky arrived. Both hands had a fist full of sheet tucked in under her chin. A breakfast tray of liquids was sitting on the tray-table which had been pushed to the side, a cup of crushed ice sat melting next to it.

Andy placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He started to slip her ring back on her finger which was enough to rouse her.

Without opening her eyes, Sharon whispered and puckered her lips, "Andy."

Happily he obliged her with a soft kiss on the lips and stroked her hair, "Good morning."

Sharon eased her eyes open, "Indeed it is," she smiled seeing her children.

Ricky texted Rusty who was in his first class for the day, "Moms awake. No bags. Looking good!"

Andy pulled Sharon's glasses out of his jacket pocket, "I figured you might want these sometime soon. I'm going to put them over here, out of the way. I just want to feast on seeing your eyes open and full of life again. You know, you really scared the hell out of me!"

"Mmm," Sharon murmured as she held Andy's hands close to her chest, "Scared myself pretty well, too."

Emily shook off the shock, "So, Mom, how do you feel?"

"Honestly? I feel awful," she began, "but awful means alive, too. You don't hurt when you're dead. The only thin that does not hurt or ache in some way are my feet." Turning to Andy, she followed up, "Thank you Andy for the socks." She wiggled her toes under the covers. "My feet are warm and toasty, just like I like it."

Dr. Hughes entered the room, "Good morning, Sharon," noticing the family, "Ricky, Emily, Andy. Good to see you all."

"And in a regular room," Emily added with apparent satisfaction.

Hands were shaken around the room, "So, I see we made vast improvements over last night," said the smiling doctor as she went over the chart. "Got rid of the ventilator yesterday. Sprung from the Unit this morning. Lost the suction and the Foley. You're doing great. I am thinking of releasing you to bed rest at home in a day or two. It all depends on getting your fever down and eating," she concluded as she folded the chart shut. "Questions for me?"

Emily looked as if she was about to sit on the edge of the bed, "Please stay off the bed," Dr. Hughes cautioned. "I know you want to get closer, but pressure on the bed can mean discomfort for my patient who would never let you know," she nodded toward Sharon.

Emily held herself back and moved to a chair instead as Sharon smiled at her daughter lovingly, "There will plenty of time for hugging and bed snuggling when I get home," Sharon added.

"Oh, and before you ask, I'll release you to limited duty once we see how you do at home on bed rest. I want to get the sutures out before sending you back to any kind of work. Limited duty means you stay in the office, no going out to crime scenes or courthouses for testimony or 'sport.' And it also means flats, not your usual heels. So plan your wardrobe accordingly," Dr. Hughes looked Sharon in the eyes. "I'll work up a progressive plan for getting your muscles back into the swing of things. Don't think you can get in the pool and swim a mile right away. I want you to start slowly...very sloooooowly. Andy, can I trust you to keep her within the guidelines?"

"Absolutely," Andy nodded and looked at Sharon who was torn between pleased to get instructions and annoyed by limitations.

"And you two," Dr. Hughes addressed Ricky and Emily, "I want you two to go back to your normal lives once I release your Mom. She will be too tempted to try and keep you company and fed and all the other things Moms do just because they are Moms. I want her to get a lot of rest, no exertions at all. Well, not at least until I clear her to get back to a more normal routine."

Emily and Ricky nodded.

"Andy, I don't have to tell you to pamper Sharon until she wants to throw you off the balcony, do I?"

"You don't have to worry about that, Lyssa," Andy said emphatically as he smiled down at Sharon, stroking her hair and face. "I'm not letting her out of my sight until she's feeling a whole lot better than she is now."

"Don't smother," Sharon whispered as her eyebrow rose.

"How about hover instead," Andy joked.

Sharon smiled and just shook her head, acknowledging his protection.

"Well, on that note, I will see you tomorrow morning," Dr. Hughes indicated as she departed her patient's room.

"Andy," Sharon asked, "can you rub my back. It aches all over. Fever probably."

"You need help rolling over?"

"Let me see," Sharon took the bedrail and turned onto her "good side." Pain was more than evident on her face.

Emily and Ricky decided now was the time to catch some lunch, "We'll be back this afternoon."

Andy looked at her back, now covered in dressings and shook his head. He found a spot in the small of her back that had not been damaged and began to work sore muscles.

"How's your throat?" Andy inquired as he did his best to ease the misery of feverish muscles.

"Raw," she whispered back. "I think that tube they jammed down my throat had spikes on it."

"I know, Sweetheart," Andy bent over to kiss her shoulders. "I know."

Andy moved his hands up to her shoulders and neck, "Let's see what I can do here. It took me a week or so before I got past the 'raw' feel. So don't worry. You don't need to entertain me or talk at all."

He gently rolled her back over and nuzzled his face to hers. Their eyes were closed, fingers intertwined as the shared the same space and the same breath.

"Flynn! What are you doing with my wife?" Jack's voice blew through the tender moment like a tornado.

Sharon's telemetry went wild as she jumped. She grunted in pain.

"Jack," Sharon exclaimed. "What are you doing here? The kids told me you had already come and gone."

"I couldn't let you just lie here all alone, now could I? But, alas, I see that you have company already," Jack whined.

Sharon held Andy's hand close and continued in a low whisper, "Jack, I'm moving...I have moved on. We are divorced. We are done. You had your chance twenty years ago when you left us for wine, women, and poker in Las Vegas."

"Mon cheri, my love, you know you're crazy about me. You know you want to get our marriage back together," Jack implored.

"What's the matter Jack. That little French tart dump you on your ass?" Andy added sarcastically as Sharon gave him a look.

"We took vows, Shah-rone. Vows before God and all our family and friends. 'Til death do us part! Remember that?" Jack demanded.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sharon's heart rate and BP rose as she tried to sit up higher than where the bed had her elevated. Her knuckles went white as she tugged herself up by the bedrails. Andy tried to support her without tearing any sutures from her back loose.

"You just don't get it," she croaked out hoarsely and as loudly as she could. " WE ARE DONE! Except for the requisite family get-togethers at holidays, I really, really never want to see you again. I know that as a defense attorney, you will still show up in my life at unexpected moments. I will just have to live around that little sad fact."

It was at that moment that Jack caught his first glimpse of the engagement ring on Sharon's finger. He stopped cold and just stared at it.

"You're not going to marry HIM?" he exploded. "Miss Goody-Two-Shoes! I won't let you. He's a drunk and womanizer. As I said before, you should have traded up not down."

Andy was seething and would have given his left arm to have been able to beat Jack to a pulp right here, right then. Sharon could hear him grumbling in the back of his throat and saw him ready to pounce. Smoothly, she pressed the call button.

A male nurse, recently discharged from the Army, entered. Mr. Don Martin stood an impressive 6'4" tall and was built like a prize fighter. He glowered at Jack.

"I don't know who you are, but you are disturbing my patient. I will have to ask you to leave. NOW!"

Jack seemed to be frozen in place.

"Do I need to call security, sir?" Martin continued as he stepped one pace closer to Jack.

"That's my wife!" Jack blurted out.

"Not any more," Sharon and Andy said in unison.

"You could be the Prince of Wales for all I care. You are causing my patient distress, and I will not have that. As far as you are concerned, in this ward, I am King to your prince. You have to the count of five before I have you hauled out of here."

Jack looked defiant.

"One...two...three..."

Jack began to move toward the door.

"This is not over. You are mine, Shah-rone. Always have been, always will be," Jack shot toward them as he left.

Andy and the nurse got Sharon settled back into bed.

"How are you feeling?" Martin wanted to know.

Sharon closed her eyes and winced, "I'll live."

"Need pain meds?" Martin began, "This is a morphine pump. When you press this button," he handed the device to her, "it injects the metered dose of morphine into your PIC line. It cannot overdose you, so don't worry about accidentally pressing the button by rolling on it or pressing it too soon. The key to pain management is just that, management. Get out ahead of it."

Sharon looked at the button and tucked it next to her.

"If you let the pain get out ahead, it takes twice as much and twice as long to get it back to a level you can deal with. Don't worry about habituation either. The doctor steps down the available morphine so that long-term addiction does not occur," Martin concluded.

Martin stepped back, "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Sharon shook her head, "Thank you. I think I just want to get some sleep."

Martin nodded, "Sleep is the best time for the body to repair itself."

Sharon clung to Andy's hand as he settled into the chair next to the bed. She turned her head and smiled at him, mouthing the words _Thank you_ before closing her eyes for a nap.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Patrice came to relieve Andy in mid-afternoon. First she checked Sharon's chart and chatted with her nursing friends. She loved "her" Captain as much as the team did. She rapped softly on the closed door before peaking inside. Sharon was sound asleep while Andy was reading the newspaper he'd picked up downstairs. He gave Patrice a wide grin and waved her inside.

"Andy," Patrice started, "how's our patient this afternoon?"

"Well, Patrice, there was a little dust up with Jack, but that was mid-morning. Sharon's been asleep most of the day."

"That's good. Did she eat some lunch?" Patrice inquired.

"Yeah. But I don't think she likes the blue Jell-O much," Andy remarked. "She didn't say anything but she did wrinkle her nose and glare at it. Her throat is really sore from the respirator tube, so I told her she didn't have to talk. We can communicate well enough without a whole lot of words...sometimes..."

Patrice chuckled softly, "Nobody likes the blue Jell-O. I hear it's inedible flavor-wise."

"I really appreciate your coming over. It means I can run back to the condo, get cleaned up, fix something for Rusty, and know that Sharon has someone with her if she wakes up and needs something. And it does not hurt that your being here will also keep Jack from making a horse's ass of himself if he comes back for another round," Andy concluded.

Patrice nodded, "I know just what to do with Mr. Jack Raydor. Louie gave me a little of the history last night when we all got home. You run on, Andy, take whatever time you need. I'll keep a close eye on Sharon for you."

Rusty and Andy took separate vehicles to the hospital late that afternoon. Sharon's liquid dinner was sitting in front of her.

"Oh, Mom, don't eat the blue stuff!" exclaimed Emily when she saw the tray. "It's icky."

"Tell me about it," whispered Sharon. "But if I don't eat, I don't go home."

"Well then eat it," Rusty added with a laugh.

Sharon gave him a wide smile, "Rusty!" She held her arms open for his embrace. "I've been sleeping through your visits. I'm sorry, Honey."

"Don't worry about it, Mom. There's plenty of time now," Rusty grinned and gently hugged her.

Andy leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Now, you two think I'm a lion, do you?" she flipped her hair back. "A lion's mane? Really?" she looked at Andy then to Rusty, "Heart of a lion? Really?" she teased.

Rusty shook his head, "Nope. More like a whole pride of them!"

"Now that's something even I can agree with," popped in Provenza. He had acquired a "Get Well Soon!" helium balloon from the gift shop downstairs. He tied it off on the foot of the bed. "Well, Patrice, how's your patient?"

She kissed him and smiled, "She's doing quite well, Louie. Ahead of schedule, I might add."

"So, what you're saying is that we get our Captain back soon," Julio added.

The whole team was bunched up around the bed. Amy had gone to the card store and found a fiery angel with green eyes and red hair. Julio brought her a book to read about Eliot Ness. Mike came in with a box of rich Godiva chocolates. Sharon was in heaven with all her closest friends and family around her.

Amy bent over to examine the engagement ring, "Nice job, Lieutenant. That ring is stunning!"

"Yeah, I guess congratulations are in order for you both," Julio added with an authentically warm smile of approval. "Took you long enough."

"I can't stay long," Mike mentioned. "I've got kid duty tonight while my wife is out with a bunch of her girlfriends. I hope you like chocolate."

"Oh, Mike," a hoarse Sharon smiled, "and you got the very best of it, too! Thank you! Thank you all for coming and for praying for me while I was so out of if. I understand Mike, you kept me alive while the paramedics were on their way. Julio, they tell me you stopped Ms Darnell from finishing me off. Andy, you've not left my side." She looked at Provenza, "You kept the office running Lieutenant and shared Patrice with us. Amy, this angel is wonderful. She will be at the office as soon as I am and stay with me as a reminder. You are all so wonderful to me." Sharon's eyes began to tear up.

Mike was first to leave, followed by Provenza and Patrice. Amy and Julio left together shortly afterward. Julio needed to get Mark to ball practice under the lights at the park near his home. All the excitement left Sharon happy but drained and weary. Emily noted that her Mom was starting to nod off.

"Mom, Ricky and I are going to head on out. Is there anything we can get you or do for you?" Emily wanted to know.

Sharon shook her head, "Not right now. Just let me know when you get a new job, okay, Sweetheart."

"You heard me?" Emily was mortified.

"Every word," Sharon reached her hand out to take Emily's. "It's all right now. But for the future, you don't need to lie to me, thinking you are protecting me. I'd much rather hear the bad news honestly than have it covered up. Your father taught you to hide, not me. When it's out in the open, we can deal with it, whatever 'it' happens to be. I love you."

Emily bent over and kissed her mother, "I love you, too. I'm sorry I tried to hide it."

"Come on, Em. Mom's looking bushed, and Rusty can't study with us here either," Ricky smiled and kissed her forehead before leaving with Emily in tow.

"Flip you for the chair, Andy," Rusty teased.

"Nope. Chair's mine, all mine," Flynn joked back. "Now, Sharon, let's see the rest of the blue stuff in you and the tray-table stowed and your seat in the upright position."

Sharon shook her head at his corny sense of humor as she slowly finished the contents of her supper tray, down to the Jell-O.

"Come on Mom," Rusty laughed. "What did you tell me to do? Hold my nose and eat?"

Sharon wrinkled her face in horror and let the Jell-O slide down her throat while holding her nose, "Not too bad on my sore throat. But the taste is horrible."

Supper finished, Sharon pushed the bed down a few degrees and lay back with a deep sigh. Her body melted into the mattress. Rusty moved the tray-table to the other chair where he could use it for a desk while Andy pushed his chair into position. He could hold Sharon's hand, read the book that Julio had brought, and be able to look up and see his fiancée's face as she slept.

Rusty headed back to the condo a little after eight o'clock when official visiting hours were over. Andy acquired a lightweight cotton blanket for the night. It was lights out on the ward at ten, so Andy kissed Sharon good night and settled into the chair, pushing it all the way back until it lay flat like a daybed. He'd sleep standing up if it meant staying with Sharon.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Dr. Hughes released Sharon from the hospital for home bed rest once two "regular" meals were consumed and stayed that way. Her fever was down to a low grade 99 deg F. The morphine drip had been discontinued, leaving Sharon with over-the-counter pain relief. In a few more days, day 10 in the ordeal, Sharon would have a follow-up at Dr. Hughes's office for suture removal and perhaps a return to limited office duty.

Emily and Ricky had flown back to resume their lives. The CNA brought Sharon down to Andy and Rusty in the early afternoon. She was finally leaving for home after a week and a day in hospital. Rusty hopped in the back while Andy drove them all home. Rusty got upstairs and opened the door before Andy had even gotten Sharon to the elevators. He gave a quick look around to make sure the condo at least presented as clean on first cursory inspection. No pizza boxes left out. No soda cans not in recycling. He spotted one glass that he rushed to get into the dishwasher just as he heard them coming through the door.

"See, everything just like you left it," Andy was pleased.

Sharon smiled, "Thank you. I guess this means I can really leave you two on your own?" she raised an eyebrow.

Rusty's eyes grew wide, "No. Mom, I don't think that is a very good idea at all. Things run much better when you are here."

Sharon placed her forehead on his with a smile, "I love you, too."

Andy ushered her back to their bedroom.

"Andy?"

"Yes, Sharon?"

"Did you change the sheets while I was..."

"Uh, no, not really. I spent most nights on that chair with you. I didn't think..."

"What's that lump on my side?" she flicked the covers back to find a stack of pillows where she normally slept.

"Uh, well, uh, I can't sleep without you. So, I, uh, stuck those pillows in there, kind of as a place holder, you know," he stammered.

She reached up and stroked his cheek, shaking her head, "You're so loveable. Now, let's get these sheets changed. I'm still pretty tired."

Andy pulled her closer, "Mind if I join you?"

"What do you think," she replied with a wicked smile and a wink as the top sheets was whisked onto the floor.

Another week passed quickly for Sharon, Andy, and Rusty. Emily found a position as a dance instructor in Portland. She would move back to the West Coast in a few weeks. Dr. Hughes removed all the sutures from Sharon's back at the 10 day visit. She left them in a little longer since some of them had closed very deep wounds. Sharon was cleared to go back to the office but not the field. Dr. Hughes was not yet ready for Sharon to go back to swimming. Some of the wounds were still somewhat raw. Andy was given a vitamins E and C cream to work gently into the fresh scars. He was instructed to keep the open ones bathed in antibiotic ointment and covered with a loose dressing.

Monday morning, Sharon dressed for work. If she were truly honest with herself, the flats did feel better than her heels. For now, it was comfort over fashion. Her back had felt so much better in bare feet the last couple of weeks, too. She had almost gained back the fifteen pounds she'd lost while in hospital and in recovery. Andy, Rusty, and Gus had all pampered her with lovely cooking. Better yet, they cleaned up after it all, especially Gus. He was a "clean as you cook" kind of chef. Very few dirty pans were in the sink before the meal was served. The first night Patrice and Provenza brought over a casserole. Dr. Morales and his boyfriend also brought food over. Gavin swung by with an elaborate dessert. Andrea had come by. It was her opportunity to teach Rusty how to play "Spades" and "Hearts." She felt now that he was a college student, he really needed a card game or two in addition to his chess skills.

All that pampering and time to read whatever she pleased had finally reached a level of boredom that only a midwinter blizzard can achieve. Sharon had cabin fever in the worst way and was really looking forward to getting back to the office, even if it meant endless, monotonous paperwork or even meetings without end or purpose.

Her annulment paperwork had been finished and submitted. Now, they waited for the paperwork to reach that critical interview stage before the Tribunal. This meant all that was left was Jack's coming volcanic explosion. She was ready for him this time. Sharon was rested and restive. She was eager to take on the next malefactor that came along. And Jack would do nicely.

She thought for sure that she'd be the first person to arrive that morning. There had been no call out the night before. Andy was half an hour ahead of her. He was dropping off the cleaning on the way to work today, so he had actually left earlier than she had. Rusty's class schedule this semester moved him out the door by 7 a.m. Sharon had a few moments before leaving to savor her tea and watch the morning local news, hoping for "best route to work" information.

So it was, Sharon was in complete shock when she arrived to find the whole team, plus Chief Howard waiting for her. Buzz had gotten the breakfast pastries. Amy had made the coffee. Julio and Mike got the banner that read: "Welcome Back, Captain Sharon Raydor!" that hung over the Murder Board. She stood there, mouth agape, as they all gave her a standing ovation. She was overwhelmed with emotion. Her team surrounded her with affirmation and affection.

Provenza opened his desk drawer and pulled out a little plastic monkey, six inches tall, "Here, Captain. This is our official mascot for designated 'Desk Monkeys.' I got it back when Flynn was sidelined. The most recent one to possess it was Julio after he took down Ms Hitler while he waited for FID to clear him for the field. Now, it's yours!"

She held it aloft over her head and laughed, "I may be the 'Desk Monkey' for now. But just you wait, I'll be back in the field, and this little guy back in your desk drawer before you know it."


End file.
